Happiness
by snazzilings
Summary: Not your everyday Hangover fic. Audrey Billings hasn't been home in years, that is until her older brother accidentally invites her to his bachelor party in Vegas. Let's see how this one works out. PhilOC
1. Home

Yea, I know I'm already working on a story in a completely different genera but the lack of Hangover fics was driving me batty so I decided to throw one out there. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own personally created characters, all rights reserved to whomever yada, yada, yada...

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Chapter 1: Home

"Audrey come home." Audrey Billings spun around in her desk chair while nibbling away at the end of her pen. The twenty six year old had been arguing with her brother for almost twenty minutes now. He, unlike his younger sibling was all about family and home life. Audrey, on the other hand, had left for college at 18 and never really came back.

"I am." She tried to keep her voice even and did an amazing job at it; though the monotone of it did drive her brother crazy. His sister used to be full of life, giddy with excitement, but after everything that when down her last year at home…well things were different. Even between the two of them.

"Yea in two days, just come home now." Doug leant back in his office seat and looked over the bills of his company's recent spending. The Billings had been a family business for a long time, when Audrey refused to follow in her father's footsteps and instead decided to chase criminals Doug put his degree in business to work.

"Doug you know I'm not big on, well…" _How do you tell your brother as much as you love him home is the equivalent of hell?_ For being amazing with words and being able to interrogate full grown men to tears sometimes day to day conversation had Audrey stumped.

"Mom misses you," To say her breath caught in her throat was an exaggeration, Audrey knew her mother missed her, but to hear Doug say it still tugged at her heart. "plus Tracy wants to see you in your dress."

"I'm pretty sure she knows what it looks like." Always the smart ass, that much about Audrey, had and probably would never change.

"Audrey!" Audrey chuckled through her cell phone and as much as Doug knew that this had been a pun at his soon to be wife hearing his sister laugh was refreshing. He pushed his bills aside and reached for his car keys, it was pushing one and he still hadn't taken lunch yet. Locking his office he waved at his secretary and headed out the small two story building.

"Doug I'm in D.C, I work for a federal agency, I can't just pick up and leave." True she had a point, everyone close to Audrey knew how demanding her job was; however, few people knew how much it meant to her. If it came down to being late to her own wedding the twenty six year old would do it before taking a chance at jeopardizing her career.

"It's just a couple of extra days." The sound of his car beeping rung through his sisters cell phone and some hundred miles away she noted it. It had been her job to notice small things, little sounds, slight glances could always come into play. Back to the question at hand Audrey knew she would have to go home soon anyways. If worse came to worse she'd rent a hotel before staying at her parents.

"Doug I don't know…" Once again she spun around in her chair, the soft of her curls falling from her lose bun that sat slouched against the side of her neck.

"We're going to Vegas." Like a light bulb images of the sin city flashed in her brain. Since she had began to work as a federal agent Audrey had mastered a poker face and the ability to read people. She never gambled, she just sat down looking pretty and took people's money.

"Vegas?" The slight heightened pitch in her voice didn't go unnoticed by her brother who froze with his key still in his car door. Doug hadn't planned on inviting his sister, it was suppose to be his bachelor party and having his sister there would be weird. None the less, if it got her home he'd drag him with her and politely ask that she not come to the strip joints.

"Ugh huh." He still had yet to move and though he didn't want to allow himself to get his hopes up Doug loved his sister deeply and wanted the opportunity to make amends between the two of them. Quicker than you can slap a tick Audrey searched through her agency's website for possible fly outs. As much as she hated flying Audrey had the clearance to jump on nearly any flight that the agency provided, it saved her lots of cash and if she did decide to go to Vegas it would be cash that she needed.

"Well there is a C-130 heading out to L.A-"

"When?" Buckling his seat Doug started up his old jeep and pulled out of the cramped parking lot, turning down his radio just to be sure he'd catch everything his sister said. Audrey leant over her desk and groaned upon noticing the departure time.

"About an hour." Plucking the pen from between her teeth Audrey quickly jotted down everything about the flight, departure time, the airport address, where it would land, the works.

"Can you get on it?" At her brothers question Audrey said nothing at first, she thought about the work on her desk, which wasn't much because she had just recently wrapped up a case but then she let her mind wonder. She had to go home sometime; maybe a trip to Vegas would help soften the initial blow. Replacing her pen with her bottom lip Audrey nibbled at it while nibbling away at what would be her next plan of action. Sitting down the pen the young agent ripped away the piece of paper she had written her flight information on and folded it in two.

"Well I don't know, how bout you leave a key with your landlord and if I'm in your apartment when you get home than we can draw conclusions." Audrey knew she couldn't make any promises and considering how prompt her brother always was she was going to enjoy the chance to keep him the dark.

"You're not as nice as you used to be." Doug didn't want to let on his happiness at the prospect of his sister coming home early. He knew that he would see her at the wedding but that day would be so hectic and she would be long gone by the time he got back from his honeymoon.

"Blame my boss for that." With that Audrey hung the phone up and left her brother with no goodbye. Then again Audrey was no longer one for sweet family gestures. None the less Doug drove away happily but then it hit him. Phil, Doug's close friend had recently gone through a nasty divorce and was crashing at his place, in the exact same guest bed his sister would expect to occupy. Shit…

Sitting up Audrey smoothed out her blouse before slowly approaching her boss's desk. It was right next to hers in the open area of their shared office. See Audrey was her boss's senior field agent and thus his go to guy, or in this case, go to girl. There was no real in forced dress code but it was a well respected profession and so Audrey kept it to mostly slacks and a nice feminine blouse. Today she adjourned her favorite pair of light grey slacks and a black button up blouse. Jewelry was a somewhat of a _no no_ but a small necklace bounced against her collar bone. It took Audrey awhile to settle into her new life yet she was moderately happy and didn't expect much more. Looking nice in such a rough job always made her a little more confidant, it didn't hurt when it came to interviewing people either.

"Boss." Audrey came to a stop in front of her boss and though he didn't look up he didn't give her a chance to ask the question picking away at her brain.

"Go home Billings." The woman's head snapped up, he hadn't even been in the room while she was on the phone and though he could be as stealthy as a ninja she instantly worried that she was in trouble.

"Sir?" Everything she had done in the last few days played over in Audrey's head, critiquing every move she had made and looking for any sort of in fraction. The worry was clear on her face and her boss didn't want to just leave her hanging.

"I hear everything Billings." This time it was her eyes that snapped up, the pale green of them dilating as she looked at her considerably older boss. He held some twenty years on her and though his hair was peppered with gray he was still a very good looking man, even more a superior agent to anyone else.

"I wouldn't ask had I not had so much leave built up." Audrey tried to support her reasons but her boss didn't need it. The woman in front of him hadn't taken a single day of unless it was directly related to injuries she sustained while on the clock. Not once had she been hesitant to stay late nor did she complain about being woken up all hours of the night and being called in.

"You don't have to explain to me Billings." The younger of the two took his words at face value and gave him a small nod.

"Thanks Gibbs." She stepped away but then Gibbs made a very good point.

"The C-130 leaves soon, you better fill that leave slip out fast." Picking up her pace Audrey hurried over to her desk and retrieve the pale yellow paper from her desk drawer. Scribbling the necessary information in she grabbed her gun, her badge and her jacket.

"See you later Tony." The young agent passed the newest probationary intern assigned to her team and slipped Gibbs her leave slip. Tony had a doughnut hanging out of his mouth but quickly pulled it out.

"Were you going?" Halfway to the elevator Audrey allowed a smile to creep across her smooth lips.

"Vegas."

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Reviews please, you wanna flame go do it somewhere else.


	2. The Golden Coast

Yea, I know I'm already working on a story in a completely different genera but the lack of Hangover fics was driving me batty so I decided to throw one out there. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own personally created characters, all rights reserved to whomever yada, yada, yada...

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Chapter 2: The Golden Coast

The second Audrey stepped out the back of the massive airplane that had carried her for the last six hours it was impossible to mistake where she was. California has a certain air about it that no one can truly pin point unless they've been there. The smell of salt water hung in the hot May air and stuck to Audrey's skin for the first time in eight years. The flight hadn't been terrible just long and rough at times. Still she was home. After arguing with the car rental people for over half an hour Audrey finally gave up and pulled out the _'I am a federal agent, please don't make me call my director about this.'_ She must have scared the people a bit more than she realized because the car they gave her was a very expensive 2009 Dodge Charger.

With her GPS directing the way it didn't take Audrey long to find her brother's apartment. It was already late, pushing five and though the time difference was only a few hours Audrey was going to need some serious caffeine to get use to the new time zone. The apartment complex that Doug called home was simple but still very modern. White washed walls and a small fountain out front along with palm trees gave it a polished Californian look. The sky turned a mix of pastel colors as Audrey carried her tired feet to the front office and upon opening the door the air that hit her was so hot and heavy that it damn near threw her down.

"Hi I'm special agent Audrey Billings," The office wasn't very large but there was a woman sitting behind a counter with a paperback romance novel in one hand and a portable fan in the other. As she pulled out her badge Audrey prayed that the air conditioning worked in her brother's apartment. "I need to see inside apartment room D284."The woman who didn't look a day over 18 pulled herself from her daze and gave Audrey's badge a hard look. Upon realizing it was real her dark eyes widened and her book slipped from her grasp with a loud thud.

"Huh?" Her Latino accent was thick and filled with utter confusion.

"Federal business." The point had yet to click with this woman. Her gaze was still blank and for a moment the D.C native wondered if she had melted into the wallpaper. "The key please." That did it.

"Yea yea here you go. Is Mr. Billings in trouble-" The woman stopped mid way through handing Audrey the key with the bright label of D284. "wait you're his sister." _Oh another shocking revelation_ Audrey thought to herself. Forcing a smile Audrey nodded her blonde head and slipped her badge back onto her belt.

"Ha, yes I am. I was kind of hoping you would tell him and have him freak out a little." The woman cast a strange almost disapproving glance at Audrey's attempts of surprising her brother. The sky was darkening outside the small rooms windows and Audrey's patience was beginning to run thin. Soon her brother would be getting home and though California wasn't her favorite place she was at least the tiniest bit excited about seeing her brother again. Wedding business on the other hand, it just wasn't Audrey's cup of tea.

"You Billings… very strange people." Maybe she meant it as a joke none the less the humor of it was lost on Audrey who turned cold and gave the woman a hard look.

"The key?" Pushing her hand over the cabinet and into the office woman's personal space it was clear that the conversation was over. She was tired, hungry and really needed to pee.

"Oh yes here" Audrey took the key and shoved it roughly into her pocket. She waved at the woman as nicely as she could muster before heading towards the door. "do you want me to tell him you've arrived?"

"No." With that Audrey closed the door behind her and headed back to her car. Complex D was further from the main road and had a nice view of the city below. Pulling the key from the ignition Audrey lent over the steering wheel and peered out the windshield. Breathing a long sigh at the thought of being home she took a minute to take in everything, after this who knew when she'd be back here.

Doug's apartment was defiantly a man's with its dark furniture, large flat screen and mix matched kitchen appliances. Sitting down her things Audrey let out a loud whistle and bent down on one knee. Thundering in came an old border collie with bright blue eyes. Kodak had been Audrey's pet when she was eighteen and when she moved out she was forced to give the puppy to her brother yet in his old age the dog still recognized her. After a few minutes of searching with Kodak at her heels she found the bathroom and then the beloved guest room. Searching through the drawers Audrey found a pair of worn in gym shorts and slipped them on before crawling into the dark bed for a much needed nap.

Audrey hadn't been asleep thirty minutes when the light clicked on above her head. The federal agent shot up in her bed like a bullet with her hand already on her gun. In front of her was a man that was defiantly not her brother and like a flash she was standing up with the barrel of her gun pointed directly at him

"Wow what the hell!" Phil had no idea what was going on, with the divorce and Doug's wedding going on the fact that there was a strange woman asleep in his bed that he didn't remember didn't entirely shock him. Still when she jumped up and pointed a gun between his eyes things turned sour.

"Who are you?" Audrey's voice was demanding and her grip on her pistol's trigger guard would only take one quick move to becoming suddenly deadly. This apartment was Doug's, she knew that because it was littered with pictures of him and their family but this man was far from her short and dark haired brother. He was tall with sandy brown hair and shocked bright blue eyes.

"Who the fuck are you?" Phil held his hands in the air and kept his eyes on the woman in front of him. Her hair was a mixture of blonde and brown and currently in a very messy bun at the side of her neck. Her blouse was less than half buttoned and the shorts she wore were actually his. What the fuck was going…

"Audrey Billings, stay still or the first ones in your knee." The woman's voice was beyond serious; it was deadly and even with sleep still in her eyes she tried her best to not blink. A sudden realization seemed to wash over the man's face and the hands he had been holding high in the air fell to his sides.

"Can't be." Yea, it made sense for Doug's sister be here but she lived miles away and looked nothing like this the last time he saw her. Then again she had been in the middle of a massive fight with her parents and sporting a black eye. Still Phil thought he should be able to find something, some spark that was the Audrey he had grown up tormenting.

"Or your eye if you prefer." There it was; that snarky bitchy attitude that was suddenly insanely sexy. Even when she was young Audrey always had a comeback for whatever her brother's friends would throw her way.

"No Audrey it's me Phil," Phil leant forward and patted his chest. "Doug's best man." For the first time Audrey faltered, her gun dropped slightly from its target and she blinked her eyes hard in attempt at a better focus.

"Phil…Phil Wenneck?" Audrey didn't drop her defenses completely her legs were still spaced perfectly apart, her grip on her baretta still strong as ever. But then the man in front of her nodded and sported a small smirk, a smirk Audrey knew too well but hadn't seen in ages. "God I almost fucking shot you." Dropping her gun down Audrey pointed the barrel at the floor, worked the slide and caught the bullet that popped out.

Phil had to catch his breath from everything that had just gone down in the last minute. Not just the fact that a gun had been pointed at him but it had been pointed at him by a woman in a shirt that was a button away from not existing and his favorite pair of gym shorts. Audrey looked like a completely different person but the attitude hadn't changed like everything else.

"Well thanks for the self control." Audrey ignored Phil as she crashed back onto the bed and put a hand over her beating chest. She had fired a gun a thousand times before and had to deal with what it felt like to put a bullet in a body. Still she hadn't had anyone walk in on her like this since she was a teenager; none the less, the sarcasm in Phil's voice didn't go unnoticed. Looking out the corner of her eye she watched him closely as he sat his bag down on the dark dresser and pushed his hands through his hair.

"What are you doing here?" Turning around Phil leant against the opposite wall and took a second to gaze over the woman spread across his bed before answering.

"I live here." As much as he hated to admit it he did live there. Stephanie had taken everything in the divorce, the house, the majority of what was in it, and she had Eli with her. That hurt most of all.

"No you're married-"

"Was married." The caught Audrey's attention and she shot up off the dark cotton sheets. The room was cold and the breeze created from her own movements gave her goose bumps as well as releasing her long hair from its tie.

"What?" Once again Phil was having to indulge in yet another person about his misfortunes.

"Divorced," Phil made sure to say his words slowly. "single, opposite of marriage." Sure he didn't need to elaborate seeing as after the first word Audrey's eyes immediately softened. She understood but clearly didn't appreciate the sarcasm because all sympathy quickly slipped off her face with Phil's demeaning tone.

"Ok smart ass," Audrey shifted around so that she was directly facing the man in front of her and pointed a finger at him that was still numb from being slept on. "I don't appreciate sarcasm when it's directed to me" Even in her anger Audrey still felt the slightest bit bad for Phil and once again opened herself up to being kind. "and I'm sorry about Stephanie." If there was one thing Phil hated it was pity and his body stiffened at just the mentioning of his ex wife's name.

"Well excuse me but you're in my room." Pulling his shirt over the top of his head Phil tried his best to catch the reaction on Audrey's face and though he didn't see it he was sure it was there. The younger woman quickly sat up straight and refused to look anywhere but directly in his eyes. Strolling over he came to a stop directly in front of Audrey and enjoyed the view he gained from his height. "Unbutton that shirt a little more and I won't have a problem with it." The second he reached out for the collar of her shirt Audrey snatched Phil's wrist and forced him to his knees.

"Phil I just flew in on a C-130 from D.C," Phil bit his lip in pain but didn't dare move. "I've been patted down far too thoroughly at the airport" Audrey's breath was cool on the side of his face as she leant forward to where he sat on his knees beside the bed "and Doug didn't say jack shit about you living here so can you please let me get some sleep." Letting go of Phil's wrist Audrey rolled back over onto the inviting bed and buttoned up her shirt.

"As long as you scoot over." Before she had the chance to shift so much as an inch Phil crashed down on the bed beside her, technically it was more like on top of her. With all the strength she could muster Audrey pushed against the body on top of her long enough to crawl out from under it. Phil watched as she leant over him and grabbed her pistol, once again admiring the view. She stopped for a second and gave him her best 'don't fuck with me' look.

"You do know I will hurt you if you try anything." After retrieving her gun Audrey threw herself down on the other side of the bed. Phil was busy rubbing his sore wrist and didn't notice the woman next to him as she stretched her hands high above herself before settling into her pillow.

"Whatever," Phil's demeanor was sour but he still enjoyed having a woman next to him in bed, even if it wasn't one that was particularly happy about it. Since he signed the papers two weeks ago he hadn't been this close to woman, not so much from lack of trying, something just kept getting in the way. "I've got to go to some rehearsal for the wedding tonight and really need some fucking shut eye."

"The rehearsal's tonight?" Audrey's voice came out almost panicked, not that she hated the idea of having to go somewhere as much as the fact that everyone she had ever known from home would probably be there.

"Yup."

"Damn…" Audrey fell back into her pillow only this time she laid on her stomach and gazed up at the man next to her. Phil's arms were pushed behind his head and his tan skin was something to be desired but Audrey refused to think of him that way. Phil had been the boy that picked on her from early childhood up until she moved out and drove her up a wall with nick names like princess hymen.

"Don't sound so excited." Keeping his eyes on the ceiling Phil tried to keep all the dirty images that had popped back into his mind the second Audrey shifted her body and unknowingly brushed against him.

"No it's just that I'll have to go now…" Pulling her head up Audrey picked at a loose thread on the corner of the pillow. "I was really going to try and get some sleep." As tired as she was Audrey knew there was more to it than just that. None the less Audrey knew how to hide her emotions and hide them she did.

"Jet lag?" This time Phil mustered up the self control to turn to woman at his side. Her eyes looked like they were busy cooking up a plan and she sucked hard on her bottom lip. _Dead puppies, Nancy Grace, broken bones! _Forcing disgusting images into his head Phil pulled a pillow over his lap. Audrey honestly didn't know how she expected to handle tonight but if she was built to withstand hours of torture without buckling one dinner with the family couldn't be all that bad.

"Phil?" The sound of someone else in the apartment made the two jump out of their skin. If it had been anybody but Doug's sister Phil wouldn't care about the conclusions he could draw from the situation at hand but he knew this was uncharted territory here. Jumping up he grabbed his shirt and slid it back over his head as quickly as he could and just as he was fully clothed again Doug appeared in the door way. "Audrey!" In the blink of an eye Audrey had propelled off the bed and into her brothers arms.

"Hey big brother." Doug wrapped his arms tight around his sister and the happiness that bottled up inside of him shined through in his smile. Even with the prospect of Vegas he hadn't expected her to take him up on his offer but here she was, bright eyed and smiling.

"God I'm glad you're here." Pushing away from his sister Doug held her at arm's length and gave her a hard look just to make sure she was actually there. She had bed hair but her face was lit up, unlike how it had been last time he saw her.

"Doug you saw me two months ago." In attempts to clean herself up Audrey smoothed out her shirt and patted at her wild curly hair. Though Doug was her brother through and through they didn't look that much alike. In a strange twist of irony Audrey had inherited her father's height in a somewhat shorter stature as well as his light hair but her almond eyes were just like here brothers with a slight variation in color.

"Yea but you look different." Well that's off putting. Audrey quickly scanned over herself, she didn't look that disheveled, casual yes but not that bad. Hell she was pretty sure Phil didn't mind what she was wearing, he had after all been staring at her this whole time.

"Bad?" The second he saw the look on her face Doug could tell what idea he had put in her head. Shaking his head he stumbled over his words.

"No, no of course not-" Audrey smiled but the moment was quickly ruined by Phil who leant in and retorted.

"She almost shot me." With the way Doug's eyes practically popped out of his head Audrey took the chance to step back and walk over to her bags. If there really was a rehearsal tonight that she'd have to dress up nice and she really wanted a shower anyways.

"Phil, oh shit" Reaching into her things Audrey grabbed her toiletry bag and searched through her clothes for something appropriate. "Audrey I completely forgot about Phil staying with me." There was her blue dress with the cute buttons, maybe with a cardigan she could style it down.

"Thanks Doug." Phil took his seat at the edge of the bed and watched as Doug's mind went to work at how to handle the situation as well as noticing the cute little strawberry tattoo on the inside of Audrey's ankle, he'd have to ask her about that later.

"You can have my bed." Doug hated the idea of taking the couch but hated the idea of giving it to his sister even more. She was his company and more importantly his baby sister, he wouldn't subject her to having to deal with Phil rummaging through the kitchen in the morning while she tried to sleep. Audrey on the other hand hated to put anyone out and standing up quickly she prepared for the argument that was about to start.

"No Doug don't worry about it." With her dress in her hand Audrey stepped back to her brother with her intimidating eyes. "I can just get a hotel." If the look on his face wasn't enough Doug shook his head all while trying to make a firm stand himself, he knew how Audrey worked and knew she could force him to do what she said with just a few moves.

"No, no you're my sister" Grabbing Audrey by the shoulders Doug held her still while he looked her in the eye. He wasn't going to let her win this one. "I'm not letting you stay in some dingy hotel." Audrey opened her mouth to protest but didn't get the chance.

"She can have my bed." The two siblings head snapped up in shock. Phil didn't understand the look on their faces, kindness wasn't completely unheard of from him, not that his students would agree. Audrey couldn't hold back the smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth and being oblivious to the way Doug watched the two of them Phil returned the gesture with slightly more oomph.

"Dear god…its finally happened." With a hand on his chest Doug mocked his good friend. Phil who hadn't been paying much attention turned back to the only other man in the room. "Phil, he's finally shown an act of kindness on a stranger." Yet again Audrey found herself smiling, even laughing at that. Putting her hand on her brother's arm she leant forward and whispered not so quietly.

"Maybe his heart grew three sizes." Doug responded with a slight jab in the ribs and a small chuckle.

"Shut the fuck up and Audrey is not a stranger, she's your sister." Phil knew Doug wouldn't buy that but maybe Audrey would and when it came down to it that was all that mattered seeing as he had no intentions of trying to sleep with Doug, Audrey was a completely different story.

"Wow Phil I'm touched." Audrey tossed her dress onto the bed and headed back towards her bag, she needed shoes and her curling iron. If this was the first time she was going to be seeing people in years she was going to make an impression.

"Care to elaborate?" That made Audrey stop mid step and cast a death glare at the man in front of her. Instead of returning it he merely grinned wider, every guy likes a challenge.

"Phil I'm right here." With that Audrey headed for the bathroom while Doug cast one last narrow eyed glance at his best friend before heading to his own room. "Enjoy the couch!"

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Thanks to all of those who reviewed, if you haven't please take a pointer from these awesome people and do the same.


	3. In Over My Head

So after posting my last chapter I found out the correct name of Phil's wife and have went back and corrected it. Thanks to all of you that posted reviews, they keep me going. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own personally created characters, all rights reserved to whomever yada, yada, yada...

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Chapter 3: In Over My Head

The water that pulsed down on Audrey had left her feeling warm and refreshed. Her hair was now clean in loose curls and her legs were smooth and soft. Doug's spare bathroom wasn't large but the spotless mirror and bright lights were more than she needed for applying her simple eye makeup and pale lipstick. If only her dress wasn't giving her such a hard time, she had been tugging at the zipper for two minutes and was still having no luck.

"Audrey hurry the fuck up!" Phil banged hard on the white door, he really needed to take a piss and the two Billings were occupying the only bathrooms. Tonight the thirty-four year old had picked out his best dark gray slacks and a new white button up, he knew just how to teeter on the line of dressy and casual and did a very good job at it.

"Phil I swear I'll shoot you if you don't leave me the hell alone!" Normally Audrey wouldn't be so rude but this whole zipper situation was really beginning to get on her nerves.

"Are you two fighting already?" Doug had heard the banging and bickering going on in the opposite side of his apartment and stuck his head out the door just to make sure his sister and Phil hadn't broken anything.

"No!" Yanking at her zipper Audrey yelled to her brother. "if we were Phil would be on the ground bleeding."

"That's it I'm coming in."

"Phil no!" The door flew open and turning around Audrey lost her grip on her strapless dress which then slid down to her hips. Phil had held it as long as he could but froze on his way to the toilet upon seeing Audrey's dress just one swift pull from being around her ankles.

"Wow." She knew that look, the look that men always get when they're thinking about women in that one particular way. It was the exact look that was currently plastered all over Phil's face. Where she was scrambling to cover herself Phil just stood like a statue and refused to blink.

"Phil get out!" This time Audrey hissed her words through her teeth and was successful in shaking Phil from his testosterone inflicted haze. The brush she had thrown at his head helped it along.

"Calm down, it's nothing I haven't seen before." The way he was so nonchalant about it made Audrey's blood boil, yes she was crude and blunt and usually very honest about her sex life with close friends but she had morals. She knew being sexy wasn't about putting it all out there, it was survival of the smartest to find a good man and she knew how the game was played.

"Hell yes it is now get out!" She turned her head away from Phil and walked in a small circle while trying to reach the zipper on her back. Phil watched as his best friends sister circled yet another time and couldn't help but thinking of how dogs do before they mark their territory . With one small step after another Phil eased his way over to her and put his fingers around the small blue zipper.

"Would you just be quite, here let me help you." Audrey froze as Phil's cool fingertips grazed the small of her back. The heat began to rise in her cheeks but she forced it back and sucked in deeply.

The two were standing in front of the mirror and Audrey watched as Phil continued to struggle with the zipper. He knew it had nothing to do with her size but that one of the metal teeth had been curved and was now throwing the entire zipper off track.

"You have a lot of experience putting on women's clothes?" Phil's head snapped up now and looked at the women in the mirror. Her skin was sun kissed and the light mascara and eyeliner suited her perfectly. Normally Phil preferred women that wore lots of makeup and died there hair but Audrey pulled off the natural look without a hitch. She looked so clean that one could almost make the mistake that she was innocent and untouched by the dangers of the world but Phil knew better. He had after all been with Doug the night she called him after having killed her first criminal. She cried over the phone loud enough for Phil to hear and is heart had gone out to her just imagining how hard it must have been. The man loved his violent video games but he couldn't fathom what it would be like in real life.

"No…" Audrey kept her eyes glued on Phil and refused to shiver as he looked her in the eye and slowly drew circles on her back. "but I'm a master at taking them off so how hard could the opposite be?" He stepped forward so closely that Audrey could feel the fabric of his crisp shirt brush against her exposed skin. Phil knew what he was doing and was searching for any evidence of its effects on Audrey's face but sadly she caught his staring and rolled her big green eyes.

"Just zip the damn thing." Reaching around behind her Audrey gripped Phil's hand and tried to force the zipper up and after one more good tug the little piece of metal made its way all the way to the top of her dress. Audrey breathed heavily as she grabbed her pale cardigan from off the door knob and began to pull it on. Phil could see her demeanor turn rigid as her body tensed and her chest rose and fell twice as quickly as it had moments before.

"What the hell's your problem?" Audrey almost took Phil to the ground when he suddenly gripped her by the elbows and held her still but the impulse came to late leaving her to quickly form an explanation. Phil refused to divert his gaze, something was up and the last thing he wanted was some sort of blow out at the rehearsal.

"Phil I..."Audrey's eyes dropped down to her pale peep toed shoes. "I just don't know how to handle all this." Phil watched as the woman in front of him slowly raised her gaze back up to him. There were no tears, not a single watery drop, but between the specks of blue and gold there was a deep imbedded sorrow inside them. He was getting in too deep with her, stroking away at monsters that she had kept at bay. Honestly Phil wasn't ready to dive into someone else's troubles so he quickly changed the subject.

"I could help you out." Sliding his hands up the side of her hips he pulled her to him but she quickly reeled back. There wasn't enough force behind Audrey's push and she knew that Phil could tell. She wasn't in the mood for putting up her defenses, this whole twenty four hours a day seven days a week thing was wearing her out.

"Phil I'm being serious," Phil stopped and tilted his head to the side; he had a good five inches on Audrey but her shoes pulled her up a little. "my parents don't know I'm in town." With that Audrey turned around and grabbed her necklace off the stone counter top and went to work untangling the three strands. Phil took this for what it was; cutting him out and instead of probing further he strolled over to the toilet and unzipped his pants.

"Well there not going to be there anyways." Before it had time to register that Phil was doing his business Audrey spun around and nearly dropped her necklace to the cold tile floor.

"What?" Even with his back to her Phil could envision the shock on Audrey's with the way it came through in her voice.

"Yea," Shaking himself off Phil zipped his pants and walked casually past a statuesque Audrey and turned on the faucet. "your dads doing some last minute thing across state, the moms with him." Grabbing a bar of bright orange soap Phil lathered up his hands and drenched them with warm water.

"Seriously?" Audrey appeared at Phil's side so quietly that when she spoke his shoulders jump. After catching his breath and snatching a towel he nodded. "Oh thank god." Even in her sudden peace of mind her tangled necklace was still aggravating Audrey to no in and it was apparent as she shook the piece of jewelry while growling in frustration. Seeing the woman in front of him getting so angry over something so small made Phil laugh and take the evil necklace out of Audrey's hands. Within seconds he had it untangled and slowly slipped it around her neck. Her mind seemed to be racing even when she automatically pulled her hair up and tilted her chin she wasn't thinking about the way that Phil had practically dressed her but the fact that all her worrying had been in vain.

"Can't keep this up Audrey." Phil had long since latched Audrey's necklace but had yet to step away from her and when her attention snapped back to him he wasn't sure if she was going to slap him or kiss him. She merely looked him in the eyes with those soft pink cheeks and smooth skin. The fact that Audrey didn't look like Doug made it easy for Phil to forget she was the little sister of his best friend. That was until she whispered something about her brother coming down the hall.

"Hey you two?" Doug walked in through the open door just as Audrey made her way to the counter and began putting her things back in her bag. _That's fucking weird _was what popped into Phil's mind, sure if Doug and Audrey were twins that would be one thing but…

"Yea?" Doug watched as his sister made her way to him, a small pale clutch in hand, no doubly holding more than just make up. She was dressed just right for the occasion with her satin blue dress and simple pale peach cardigan. Tracy would drool over her outfit and it made Doug happy to imagine to two of them having something to talk about after all he was pretty sure that his fiancée was a little scared of his sister.

"Can you two ride together Tracy called and she needs me to run to the restaurant before the rehearsal." Phil nodded and reached into his pocket for his keys but came to a stop upon seeing Audrey twirling hers around her finger.

"Sure be careful." Audrey sat atop the counter and pulled off her shoes. They were already beginning to rub blisters and she would hate to get blood on them. Not paying her brother much attention she quickly began rummaging through the bathroom drawers; trying to ignore the condoms while she continued her search for band aids.

"Audrey?" Doug leant against the door frame and tried to catch his sister's attention. "Tracy is really excited to see you so please be nice to her." Phil tired of watching Audrey claw through toilet paper and empty bottles of deodorant, even if it did give him a nice view of her back side, when he knew that the band aids were in the bottom drawer on the other side of the cabinet.

"Doug I legitimately like Tracy," Audrey stopped as Phil walked up to her and giving her a slight push, moved her out of the way before pulling a drawer open. "I don't have to force being nice to her." Holding the small box above his head Phil waited for the moment that Audrey grabbed it before standing up.

"Thank you Audrey." Ten minutes and ten wasted band aids later Audrey slid into the driver side of her rented car and chunked her shoes in the back seat. Phil was busy talking on his phone in what seemed like a heated conversation with whom Audrey assumed was his ex wife.

Stephanie was driving Phil up a wall. One second he was a terrible father and the next she was trying talk him out of going to Vegas and spending more time his son even though he knew it was just a ploy to keep him from spending time with the guys and to keep her from having to bring Eli to the wedding. When he finally clicked his phone shut he rested his elbow on the passenger side door and pushed his temple into the knuckles of his fist. He was aggravated and took it out on the only person near him.

"You drive almost as slow as your brother." Boy was he about to get a rude awakening.

"Slow huh?" With an arched eye brow Audrey laid her foot into the gas and passed five cars before jerking back into the right lane and back to a normal speed. "Now what was that?"

"Where'd you learn to drive like that!" It was safe to say Phil was no longer lounging seeing as the sudden take off had jerked him around his seat. He would never again insult Audrey's driving skills after that little stunt.

"You taught me remember?" Phil obviously didn't remember or didn't care to answer and instead settled for staring out the window, anger still boiling in his chest. Hating the uncomfortable silence Audrey reached forward and clicked on the radio before checking her rear view mirror and passing a very slow moving minivan.

"_And I know someday that it'll all turn out. You'll make me work, so we can work to work it out."_

"Ugh turn that off." Phil quickly turned the radio off but it didn't last long.

"No I like that song." With a slap to the wrist and another passed car the radio was again humming through the new speakers.

"_I just haven't met you yet."_

Audrey knew the feeling of being watched, that sort of six sense had helped her out hundreds of times in the field and the moment her spine tingled with the feeling of eyes on her. Phil was in fact looking at Audrey closely out of the corner of his eye. She was twice as beautiful as he could've imagined her becoming and the way she tapped her fingers along the steering wheel to the beat of the song made the corner of his lips turn up.

"Why?" Audrey ignored the way Phil stared at her and continued to keep her eyes on the road. It didn't take her long to formulate and answer to his question; it was fairly obvious why a twenty six year old woman would like it.

"Um…because I'm a girl." Audrey took yet another sharp pass into the other lane and reaching up Phil quickly buckled his seat. He really wished he hadn't said anything about her driving. Still he couldn't understand why just being a girl would make such an annoying song desirable.

"And?" Audrey slowed her speed and stopped humming long enough to take a look at the man next to her. Boys could be so dumb…

"Well every girl dreams of the guy she'll fall in love with-" The car in front of the two came to a sudden stop and Audrey had to slam on her brakes and swerve to miss the old Cadillac. A long line of obscenities ensued from the two passengers and Phil clung to the dashboard as Audrey held onto the steering wheel for dear life. Breathing in a shaky breath Audrey struggled to remember what she and Phil had been talking about when finally it came to her, "Like for example, when I was seventeen I wrote a letter to my future husband."

"What?" Phil couldn't help but give Audrey that 'are you crazy?' look. She, however; just laughed it off with a bright sparkling smile. Very little could embarrass her, not that nothing did, it just had to be something big. Falling over her own feet or getting a joke wrong just served as amusement to the young woman. Laughing to herself Audrey flicked on her blinker.

"Yea, I still have it locked in a desk drawer in my old room." With raised eye brows Phil kept his eyes on the woman at his side. She drove like a maniac and suffered from serious road rage but she smiled quickly after.

"You do know that's more than just a little weird?" Even with his brutal honesty Audrey didn't falter, she giggled and turned to him for only a second. There was a mix of confusion and amusement on his freshly shaved and suddenly very handsome face.

"Ha I know but I watched an old black and white movie once where this man found a letter like that in a desk he had bought off an old man a couple of years before and the majority of the movie was him looking for this woman to give it back to her." That took a little more breath than she had expected it to and Audrey had to breathe in deep afterwards.

"How'd it end?" Phil had turned his attention back out the window and missed the way the light dimmed in Audrey's eyes. The memories of being a child and watching old movies with her mother pricked at a hidden away part of Audrey's heart. The part that actually missed home, or at least the late nights curled up on the couch gooing over Clark Gable and Cary Grant.

"It belonged to the girl that had lived next door to him his whole life. She wrote it hoping for him." Nodding Phil sat up in his seat and pointed out the window.

"House is on the left." Audrey turned and pulled the car onto the opposite side of the street where many other cars were parked. The house was quite beautiful and very up scale. Reaching into the back seat Audrey slipped her shoes back on before locking her door and walking around to stand next to Phil.

"So is there anyone I need to be warned about?" Phil nodded in an overly dramatic way while shoving his hands into his pocket for his phone.

"Oh yea, Melisa." Reaching up Audrey grabbed a hold of Phil's shoulder and forced him to stay still as she stood on one foot and re-situated her shoe. Phil watched the light go off on his phone before shoving it back into his pocket.

"Who is that?"

"Stu's girlfriend." Audrey stood up straight with a big smile. Stu had always been the nerd of the group and never had very many girl friends growing up. She was proud of him for finally getting himself a girl.

"Aw Stu has a girlfriend." Phil on the other had widened his eyes and shook his head, Audrey had no idea. Audrey's face fell as her hands slid back down to her sides from where she had placed them on her chest.

"Correction Stu has a beast." The two began walking again as they stepped up the curb and onto the soft green grass. Tip toeing Audrey tried her best not to sink in and sighed happily upon seeing a side walk a short distance away.

"Ha, Phil she can't be that bad." Once again Phil shook his head and grabbing Audrey by the waist he lifted her off the ground and jogged the rest of the way to the side walk, pleasantly surprised that she hadn't put up a fight. With her feet back safely on the ground Audrey approached the front door.

"Just wait, come in-" Slowly Phil slid his arm around Audrey's waist while she lent forward and rang the door bell. "on my arm and get a load of the look she gives you."

"Hell no." Slapping away at Phil's strong hand Audrey detested the way he laughed at her even when she gave him a very hard push to the chest that almost took him off the porch.

"Why?" He asked in between laughs.

"Because…if she is half as bad as you say then I will probably have to shoot her."

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Feedback anyone?


	4. Low Grade Romantics

If your thinking this show down between Audrey and Melissa isn't as big as you were hopping for just wait until the wedding. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own personally created characters, all rights reserved to whomever yada, yada, yada...

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Chapter 4: Low Grade Romantics

"Phil just let me do it!"

Audrey clawed wildly at the man in front of her. To say she was boiling mad was a complete understatement, she was furious beyond all recognition. The evening had been going perfectly well. Tracy had hugged her like she just found out Audrey was her long lost twin sister and the practice for the wedding had been wonderfully simple even if she did have to walk down the aisle with Tracy's strange brother. But then Stu made the mistake of excitedly running up to Audrey and hugging her tightly, much to the dismay of his girlfriend Melissa. After the way she had blown up about it Phil was forced to pull Audrey into a coat closet after her first pinch. And by saying that Audrey pinched the women is to say that she grabbed her by the hand and pushed down on a pressure point so hard that Stu had to catch his girlfriend as her eyes began to roll back.

"No." Phil said sternly, he was a strong man and at least a foot taller than the women in front of him but she was putting up one hell of a fight. It was dark in the small coat closet but he could still see the white of her bright eyes as she fought with him to be let out.

"I'll be doing Stu a favor." She pleaded and true, she would actually be doing everyone a favor but he knew Melissa wasn't worth it. Reaching around Phil's waist Audrey grasped the door knob but was forced back. Phil held her tightly by the shoulders and could feel her muscles tense and contract under his hands.

"Audrey calm down." After a slight shake Audrey paused, waiting for Phil to relax and the second he did she took the opening to dash for the door. Leaping forward she ripped the door open but before she could move into the hallway two firm arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her kicking off the ground. The door slammed in front of her but Phil didn't let her go just yet. A minute passed with the two of them just standing there before Audrey's breathing evened out. Sliding out of Phil's grasp she began to pace in the small space between the coat racks. Normally Audrey was amazing at keeping her composure but the things that woman had said, well she was just lucky Audrey wasn't closer to her purse…and her gun.

"She's a dragon lady Phil" She began to rant and throw her fist into the air. "and bringing our children into this is bull-"

"Our children?" Phil couldn't help but laugh at Audrey as she pushed her fingers through her hair and looked up to him with aggravated eyes. She was cute when she was angry.

"Hypothetical." Audrey waved her hand at him as she spoke and placed the other on her hip. Phil too was offended by what Melissa had said, not only for the fact that he already had a child but that she was passing judgment on the children he and Audrey had yet to have. Not that he was planning on getting her knocked up any time soon but he could tell it had bothered her. She kept a hand on her small stomach as she continued to pace back and forth. "I mean I would be a damn good mother, I love kids. And you-" She stopped now and turned to where Phil was standing with his hands resting atop his pockets and his body blocking the door. "you're already a dad." Phil nodded and let a smile creep up on his face. "And it's not like we've even had sex-" But before she could finish her sentence Phil had stepped forward. With each step he took Audrey took a step back until her back bumped into the cold wall behind her.

"We can try and change that." Phil wanted to reach out and touch her, even if it was as small as the stroke of a cheek he suddenly felt the urge to be close to her. Maybe it was all the talk about making babies or the fact that she had defended their nonexistent children but suddenly all the dirty images from earlier that day popped back into his head.

"Does your mind ever go anywhere other than sex?" Audrey managed to ask as she put her hands up and caught Phil by the arms just as he moved to close the small space between them. He was stalking her, like a hungry lion on a gazelle. This gazelle; however, had a couple of tricks up her sleeve if it came down to it.

"Well Audrey we are in a coat closet together." He reached out to tousle her hair but she quickly slapped his hand away.

"You pulled me in." Yet again Phil reached out but this time when Audrey slapped his hand away he kept a grip on it. It made her feel uncomfortable the way he forced her fingers to separate and make room for his.

"To keep you from killing someone." Phil had a point and deep down she knew it but Audrey shook her head causing her hair to bounce around.

"Doesn't matter." This only made Phil smile and place his free hand on the wall above her. As he leant down he could make out her full pursed lips and reddening cheeks. She was getting flustered under his gaze and he loved every moment of it.

"So you're saying that being pressed up against each other like this…" Closing the space between them Phil slid his arm behind her shoulders and drew her into him. Audrey wanted to fight back but didn't see the point in it, she was actually enjoying to closeness despite not wanting to admit it. Phil was just as attractive as he had been when she left home, maybe even more so now that he was dressing nicer and had a gruff five o'clock shadow. "doesn't make your mind go straight to sex?" Biting her bottom lip from fear of making some deep sexual noise Audrey shook her head. She had to be strong and tilting up her head she gripped Phil's chin firmly as he made a play at her lips.

"More like sexual harassment charges." Scowling Phil shook her hand away before picking her up just enough to press her body into the wall.

"Come on Aud…" His voice came out desperate but his idea of a nick name was too much for Audrey to keep from giggling, it sounded so much like _odd_ that she let her defenses down just enough for Phil to steal a quick peck. Aw their first kiss and it took place in a coat closet, how romantic… Note the sarcasm.

"Aud? What the hell is that?" Phil opened his mouth to explain but the sound of voices on the other side of the door made Audrey throw her hand over his mouth to keep him quite.

"I mean honestly Stu both of them are disgusting…" At the sound of Melissa's voice Audrey let go of Phil and made a break for the door but yet again Phil caught a hold of her and was now struggling to keep her quiet.

"Melissa, Audrey's a federal agent and Phil's a school teacher and they're my friends-" It made both Phil and Audrey proud to hear Stu defending them. Slowly Audrey gave up her fight, settled into standing still against Phil's chest, and listened as the conversation on the other side of the door continued.

"I don't care. God I really hope they don't reproduce-"

"They're not even dating."

"Well whatever it is Phil does that mix would just be too much for this world." Turning around to face Phil Audrey looked up into his eyes after casting yet another angry glance at the dark coat closet door.

"Oh lets show this bitch a thing or two." If it hadn't been for her anger Audrey would never have done such a distasteful thing with Phil of all people but she knew that at any moment that Melissa woman would be reaching in to retrieve her coat and she wanted to give her something to talk about. With her arms suddenly locked around Phil's neck she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Giddy up! Audrey was on her way to something and Phil was a ways ahead of her. The man's hands instantly supported the woman wrapped around him all while admiring the layout of the land.

"Oh hell yea." Phil's voice came out ragged as Audrey reached out and went to work on his shirt buttons which wasn't easy considering he was busy sucking away at the small of her neck. Somehow Phil had known that it was her sweet spot and he reveled in the way she threw her head back and let out a tiny moan. "I love the dress." Phil's breath came out heavy as he spoke all the while pushing his hands under the tight silky fabric and over the lace of Audrey's underwear. Without seeing them Phil loved them immediately because they raise up to leave just enough of her bottom hanging out for him to touch.

"Think you can get me out of it?" It's hard not to giggle at the idea of it considering it was Phil who had helped her into the dress only hours before. With lips pressed together Phil gave a very wide grin while quickly sliding a hand out from under Audrey's dress in search of that damn zipper. Suddenly it wasn't about trying to bother Melissa because in her own lust filled haze Audrey unbuckled Phil's pants in seconds flat. Placing a hand on either side of his face she leant down and pressed her lips against his. Even as they kissed and bumped against the rack of coats the two couldn't hold back the smiles on their faces. Audrey's lips were sweet and tasted like the fruity alcoholic drink she had been sipping over dinner where as Phil's were salty and tasted a lot like scotch. Sliding her free hand down Phil's thigh Audrey could feel that special bit of muscle rising to her touch.

"Um…hi again." A soft golden glow filled the small closet quick enough to give Stu a full picture of what had been going down in the small space and it was much more than just chilling coats.

"Stu!" Audrey practically screamed at her old friend while trying to climb off the tall blue eyed body she had made a home atop of. Behind his square glasses Stu dropped his eyes to the floor. It was now Phil's time to explain, even though it took pushing Audrey in front of him to hide what was about to be his favorite part of the night.

"This" Phil held Audrey out almost as a set piece of his explanation. "isn't what it looks like."

"Can't wait to see you try and explain your way out of that one." Stu's voice was dry as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and patiently waited. After the way Audrey and Phil had came in together, hung close to each other throughout the night and sat together at dinner it didn't surprise Stu to find them about to get it on. After a few hesitant seconds of looking back and forth between each other Phil stepped up.

"We were trying-"

"It's your girlfriend Stu we were trying to show her up after what she said." Way to take the bullet Audrey.

"Seriously you two she was joking." Stu stuttered over his words and the idea of such hurtful insults being intended as humor made Phil let out a loud _Ha! _Before adding-

"Oh you are so full a shit." Nodding her head in agreement Audrey reached up and swiped away at the air inches in front of Stu's face.

"Here let me get that." Swipe swipe! Smacking away at Audrey's hand Stu took a step back with a very confused look on his face.

"What are you doing?" Stu asked while still busy smacking away at Audrey's hands.

"Trying to remove the wool she pulled over your eyes." Even with glumly look on Stu's face Phil couldn't contain his laughter. With his arms tight around his stomach he pushed Audrey out of the closet and into the cool hallway while Stu continued to try and defend his girlfriend.

"She's actually a good person."

"You've got a little more." Once again Audrey pulled at the invisible wool in front of Stu's face.

"Stop it." Stu grumbled making Audrey put her hands down and go to work on rearranging her dress. "Really if Doug catches you two he'll flip and with you joining us in Vegas I don't think he wants that mental imagine in his head." _Oh hell…_

"You're coming?" That hitch in Phil's voice let Audrey know she had some explaining to do. Images of Ricky and Lucy popped into her head as she pulled at her cardigan for it was suddenly cold. If Phil didn't want her to go she wouldn't, Audrey knew she probably shouldn't go to her brother's bachelor party but she loved Vegas and couldn't wait to make some money.

"Just for the tables," In her desperation to stretch the point Audrey patted her hands on Phil's chest. "I'm going to stay out of you boys hair. Is that a problem?"

"Hell no." Seeing Phil answer so abruptly made Audrey feel a combination of feelings; happy that he was accepting her into the boys trip and nervous that he was expecting too much of her. With everything that had just gone down between the two of them Audrey mentally slapped herself for allowing herself to get so heated with the blue eyed man in front of her. Breaking the flirtatious stare down between the two Stu had to say something quickly before Melissa started yelling at him from the car.

"Actually Melissa doesn't know so if she ask can you lie?" To his horror Audrey's eyes practically popped out of her head while Phil buried his face in his hands. Shaking her head Audrey grabbed a hold of Stu and went back to work on that wool.

"Dear god Stu I think she's got an entire sheep up here." Stu didn't appreciate the gesture and after yelling at her to stop he waved them good night with a-

"See you two tomorrow." Audrey opened the front door for Stu and slapped him on the ass just for Melissa to see. The woman was sitting in the passenger seat of Stu's little compact car and glaring knives Audrey's way. Never easily frightened Audrey just smiled and waved at the two happily.

"By Stu! Bye Melissa…you nasty twat!" Melissa tried to make a move to step out of the car but Stu quickly sped off before any more fights could ensue. Once again it was just Audrey and Phil, alone, standing very close to each other.

"So where were we?" That look, those eyes, it was hard not to melt into them. Phil was working all the magic he had in hopes of diving right back into his previous actions but before he could make another move Audrey had a hold of his hands and was keeping him at a safe distance.

"Phil, Stu's right" Now it was Phil's turn to look gloomy. Audrey felt terrible about it but she knew Stu was right. This was Phil, Doug's best man for Christ sakes and if he caught the two of them shacking up before their trip to Vegas. Well it would defiantly put a damper on things. "Doug would flip plus I was just trying to piss that Melissa bitch off." What a lie and Phil knew it by the way he pulled her to him in that old fashion way where the damsel's back always arches into her savors and one foot always goes up.

"Oh bull shit you know you were enjoying it." Audrey opened her mouth to protest but only got out,

"Yes but-" Before Phil leant down and kissed her hard, hard in the sense that it was passionate and conveyed more emotions than just that one. After giving into it for only a second Audrey yelled at her self control _'get over here self control!'_ and pealed herself off Phil. The way he looked down reminded Audrey of a movie she watched as a child with her mother. In it a woman was apologizing for hurting Cary Grant's ego when he says 'I'll just take my ego for a walk'. Leaning down to where she stood with no shoes Phil evened out the wrinkles of her peach cardigan while trying to slide it off.

"But nothing come on."

"Come on what?" Doug's sudden appearance in the hall way made Phil nervous. He felt like a child caught putting back his dirty magazines. They were so close to getting caught that the shock of it stung in the pit of his stomach.

"Eileen. You know the song from 82?" _Where the hell did she come up with that one?_ Phil thought of Audrey's quick on her toes answer.

"What about it?" Doug looked suspicious and it took everything she had to not turn red. Point a gun at Audrey's head and she giggles but the idea of her brother catching her hooking up shakes her up more than her first day of high school did.

"It was on the radio on the ride up and now it's stuck in our heads." Reaching behind her Audrey gave Phil's hand a light squeeze, thankful that he picked up where she had left off.

"Well all you have to do is finish where you left off and then it won't bother you anymore." Oh the irony, oh the irony. Rolling her eyes Audrey dipped into the coat closet and retrieved her shoes along with Phil's jacket which she slid on a hanger to make it seem a little more natural and a little less suspicious.

"Exactly what I said." Walking pass the two Audrey handed Phil his jacket and made her way back into the party. Settling back into her seat she quickly downed the rest of her drink. Boy was she going to need alcohol to get through this weekend.

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Feedback? You know you want to.


	5. Miracle Water

Big thanks to all of those who reviewed, one more chapter than its off the Vegas. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own personally created characters, all rights reserved to whomever yada, yada, yada...

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Chapter 5: Miracle Water

It was nearly ten o'clock when Audrey and Phil finally made it back to the apartment. The food at the rehearsal party and been fancy and didn't suit either of their taste. The first thing they did after getting into the car was drive to the nearest burger joint to get themselves some 'real food'. The conversation hadn't been deep; mostly they talked about why they were excited to get to Vegas. Phil couldn't wait for the strip clubs which made Audrey turn her nose up at him. She couldn't wait for the tables; she wanted to use her Mossad techniques to tell when she should hold or fold. Phil had no idea what she was talking about so she went onto to explain that one of her mentors at her job had been a former Mossad officer and taught her all the tricks to know when someone was lying or bluffing. After stuffing their faces the two tossed the evidence of their late night burger run into the trash can and made their way home.

It was nearly one o'clock when Audrey shot up in her bed, cold sweat sticking to her skin like she had bathed in it. Her nightmares were painful just to whiteness and terrible to remember, she wished she could be like a normal person and forget them…but she never could. Pushing the covers to the side she made her way to the kitchen in the dark, trying not to startle Phil from where he lay sprawled out on the couch. It was late but she took the left over coffee from the pot and popped it in the microwave while carefully searching through the cabinets for just the right secret ingredient. Stopping the microwave before it went off she poured the warm coffee and the luke warm whiskey into a small mug with a dirty image of a dog on it before heading back to her room. She was almost there when she noticed Phil's eyes on her. He was awake and had been the whole time.

"Did I wake you?" She asked over the brim of her smoking hot coffee. Her eyes were heavy with lack of sleep but she didn't exactly want to go back to bed. Shaking his head Phil grabbed the remote off the in table and turned the volume of the TV up.

"No I started watching this infomercial and now I can't stop." He answered with a smirk.

"Stop being such a smart ass." She retorted while reaching forward and sapping Phil's exposed feet.

"No really get a load of this shit." Audrey took a second to look at the TV, on it was a man holding a bible in one hand and a cup in the other. He was speaking passionately in that geeked up preacher way and big words flashed on the screen.

"Miracle Water?" Audrey asked dumbfounded. She knew that most people's intelligence was questionable but couldn't believe the stupidity of some people, they would buy anything.

"Yea for only 9.99" Phil had been getting a kick out of this infomercial. People kept drinking this miracle water and passing out or going crazy and speaking in tongues. Even as he spoke he began to chuckle as yet another 'Miracle Water' customer fell to the ground in convulsions.

"They're serving it in Dixie cups…" Pushing Phil over Audrey settled into the big couch and pulled her bare cold feet up under her. She couldn't figure out how she had so quickly became comfortable with Phil. The two had grown up together and spent a lot of their holidays at each others houses considering how close their families were. But when she moved away she never heard from him, the occasional 'Phil says hi' from Doug was it yet she and him were getting along as if she had never left.

"I know right?" Laughing and turning the TV back down after a very loud _'be healed!'_ echoed through the small den Phil took a moment to let his eyes wonder over Audrey. She was sitting at the end of the couch wearing a worn in baseball t with the iconic picture form the movie 'Evil Dead' on it and a pair of navy blue sweats. "Couldn't sleep?" The way she held what he guessed was coffee to her mouth and gave a tiny nod let him know he was right.

"Bad dreams" Her words were dry as she answered him and began to stare at a spot on the wall across the room. Phil wasn't sure what was bothering her and usually he wouldn't ask but there was something about Audrey…perhaps it was because she was so ballsy when she was happy that made him want to keep her that way. Seeing her so blank so…complacent was a little unsettling.

"Care to talk about it?" He asked half way through a yawn.

"Not particularly." Audrey answered, straight and to the point, Phil was treading on thin ice, if he wasn't careful he was about to see the colder side of the sleepy twenty six year old.

"How about why you never come home?" It was about to get very cold.

"Don't want to talk about that either."

"Why?" Sitting her coffee down on the table Audrey turned herself around so that she was directly facing the man that was staring back at her, hands pressed behind his head and a tiny smirk on his lips. She was about to wipe it off quickly.

"It's just personal Phil how about if I asked you why you and your wife split up?" Once again Audrey was straight and to the point. She knew Phil had been over all polite to her since she arrived and sometimes even more so then her liking, but this was taking it too far. Even though he acted as though he was Phil was not her friend. He had never made any motions at keeping in touch with her or acting concerned with her well being. Audrey knew that it was unfair of him to just waltz back into her life and ask her something like that. Yes, she needed a friend when she felt like this but he didn't qualify because had he been her friend he would've know about the things going on in her life.

"I would say it's because the bitch cheated on me." Phil looked at Audrey with a sort of hate in his eyes, not for her but for the fact that his wife had indeed cheated on him and he had to relieve it every time someone asked him why they split. Audrey couldn't with hold her shock, it was evident on her face and the way her jaw hung open.

"Shut the fuck up" Phil just shook his head and without warning Audrey reached out and hugged him tightly, not caring that he was shirt less or the fact that the last time they were this close they had been kissing passionately and on their way to sex. This however was different; Audrey had misread Phil and knowing that he was just trying to be open with her made her heart sting for being so coarse with him. Reluctantly letting Audrey slip from his hold Phil watched as her eyes searched back and forth across his face, waiting from some sort of emotional slip up but one never came. "Why?" This time her voice was softer, not coated in surprise.

"Apparently I'm a monster." This time the shock on her face was almost comical, her eye brows furrowed and she fiddled with her hands. Phil wished he could read her mind because just her expression was worth a thousand words.

"Where?" The moment the words slipped from between her lips Audrey regretted them. The word 'how' had been her intended question but she had suddenly become enthralled with the curves of the muscles that gave Phil's body a well sculpted look. He didn't look like a juice head but it was clear he worked out and suddenly she wondered if her belly was as flat or her arms as slim as she had imagined them being. Praying Phil hadn't caught on to what she said she reached forward and retrieved her coffee.

"Ha, what?" _Damn…_Sipping her drink Audrey kept her eyes off Phil. He; however, had his glued on her. She had complimented him, even if it hadn't been intentional she had. Grinning like a kid on Christmas he sat up a little straighter and scooted a little closer to her.

"Nothing." Her answer came out almost rushed, she really wanted him to drop the subject and drop it quickly but when had Phil ever made life easy for Audrey?

"No go on." Leaning in even closer he tried to grab her cup but she held it far away out of his reach. _Stubborn…_ he thought, but then again this was Audrey. Should he honestly be surprised?

"Well I went through all these physiological training classes before I was made an agent and from what I can tell even though you have vast amounts of teenage boy like immaturities you seem to generally carry yourself as an adult. You would never admit it but you still enjoy the pull you have over women and often show it off. Still even though you were fed up with your marriage and seem to greatly detest your wife you still love her for the fact that she gave you your son and if the perfect woman came around you would quickly settle back into happy married life." Wow that took a lot of talking at once. Catching her breath Audrey swallowed another big gulp and tried to ignore the look on Phil's face.

"God damn Dr. Phil." Phil said with laughter no longer in his voice. Leaning back he pushed his hand through his hair, an action Audrey noticed to be something he did fairly often. She wondered if it was a nervous habit because it seemed to be something he had done while in awkward situations, then it dawned on her what he had said.

"Ha, Phil…"That caught her a look. Biting her giggling back down she tried to explain herself. "sorry it's what's in this cup it opens me up like a can opener."

"What's that?" Phil asked, reaching forward and trying to get a hold of the small cup.

"Miracle water." Audrey chuckled and though she tried to keep the cup out of Phil's grasp. She failed and as he tipped the cup back and swallowed the warm liquid he knew just what miracle water meant in Audrey's vocabulary.

"Its 12:45 in the morning." He coughed, handing the warm bitter liquid back to its owner before tossing his blanket over her shoulders.

"I had really bad dreams." Was all Audrey could use to explain herself while curling into the warm blanket and feeling Phil's warm legs brush against the exposed skin of her hip. It was like being a teenager again the way a simple accidental touch can cause that fluttering feeling in her stomach. As much as Audrey was telling herself not to she was beginning to develop an attraction to the man sitting next to her and it was that last thing she needed at the moment.

"You said it opens you up ay?" Phil used his foot to push up the hem of Audrey's shirt just the slightest, he was enjoying messing with her, and he needed to as a way to keep everything she had just said about him from settling in.

"Yup."

"How so?" Further he pushed her shirt as he slowly sat back up and leant closer and closer to her. She smelt like honeysuckle and whiskey and what a combination it made.

"Well normally I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you…" Turning to Phil for only a second Audrey downed the last of her coffee before continuing on. "but I was recently stabbed trying to take down somebody and it freaked me out so much that when Doug asked for me to come home early I did." Once again the tables turned, Phil was expecting something sarcastic or perhaps a slap in the face but he figured it would be literal. Hearing that Audrey had been injured and had yet to tell anyone made him feel like he was now the barer of some secret.

"You've got to be fucking with me." Audrey could sense the disbelief in Phil's voice, as though he was expecting her to say that she was just kidding but sadly she wasn't.

"Nope, I've got the scar to prove it." She replied gloomily, getting up to wash out her cup and sit it in the sink.

"Can I see it?" It might have seem a little demented but Phil was still expecting Audrey to tell him that she was lying, a scar would be proof, hard evidence for her to back her story up with.

"Yea but not in here I don't want Doug to walk in." Grabbing Phil by the hand Audrey crept back into her bed room and turned on the night side lamp. "Here" Phil watched as Audrey slowly rolled her shirt up to right below her breast. There against her tan skin lay a two inch pink scar.

"Damn Audrey, why didn't you tell anybody?" Audrey thought about Phil's question as he bent over to look at what she now considered the ugliest part of her. His fingers grazed over the bit of raised skin smoothly as he waited for her response.

"Nobody approves of what I do already, why make it worse by having everybody know that I've came so close to dying because of it?"She answered as she looked down at the top of Phil's head. "Plus the scars ugly."

"No it's not." That surprised her.

"What are you trying to say a big scar from a stab wound is pretty?" Phil kept a hand on Audrey's waist as he straightened himself back up.

"No I'm just saying it doesn't take away from you." He was serious and Audrey could tell.

"Thanks Phil." She smiled; it was small but a smile.

"You're coming to Vegas huh?" Reaching up Phil tucked a small wild strand of hair behind Audrey's ear, grinning when he realized it hadn't really registered with her.

"Yea why?" She questioned through a yawn, hands stretching high above her head.

"Nothing." With that Phil stepped away from her and headed out of the bedroom.

"What?" Quicker than you can slap a tick Audrey reached out and caught Phil by the arm. "Come on your holding something back." Boy was she right but as much as Phil wanted nothing more than to toss her on the bed and devour her he couldn't. The apartment walls were paper thin, not only would Doug hear but so would everyone else in the complex.

"You have no idea" His voice was low and raspy as he stepped back into the room and closed the door behind him. Without warning and without a second to plan a defensive attack Phil snatched Audrey up by the arms and laid a heavy kiss on her lips. With all the strength she could muster Audrey pushed Phil off her and slapped him playfully. Laughing out loud Phil backed away from a not so angry Audrey, yes her eyes were narrow but the smile she was fighting let him know she had enjoyed it. "but Doug's here so I'm gonna leave it at that." But Audrey wasn't going to let him get away that easy, pushing her hand under her shirt she fake scratched at a spot that made the thin fabric of her worn in t raise just enough to expose a large amount of skin and the top of her pink underwear.

"Always straight to sex?" She asked while reveling in the way Phil froze mid step and stopped to look at her. His eyes were longing as they danced across the women in front of him who was now grinning smugly. Covering his eyes Phil turned around and walked back to the couch.

"Night Audrey." A second later Audrey heard a loud thump followed with a very loud 'ow' coming from the den. Guess Phil wandered off course.

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Reviews Anybody?


	6. Waking Up To A New Day

Thanks again to all of those who reviewed. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own personally created characters, all rights reserved to whomever yada, yada, yada...

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Chapter 6: Waking Up To A New Day

Phil tip toed through his room the next morning, slowly grabbing his clothes and the bag he had packed for Vegas. Audrey was sound asleep in his bed, blonde hair hanging across her face as she clung to a pillow and one of her feet dangled off the edge. Phil was tempted to tickle it but thought better considering Audrey's gun was sitting on her night stand. Grabbing his pants he slipped into them quietly and listened as Audrey mumbled in her sleep. She said something about pancake mix and a lack there of but Phil didn't try to make much sense out her gibberish and just as he was walking out the door Doug stuck his head inside. Lifting is finger to his lips he motioned for his friend to stay quite but Doug had an odd sort of smirk on his face. See Doug had always been one to wake up early and it always drove his sister crazy when he would scream at her to wake up, he hadn't done it in years but figured why not. Flipping the light switch on he belted out loud,

"Audrey wake up!" In a flash Audrey had grabbed her gun off the night stand and stood up on her bed. For Phil this wasn't anything new but by the look on Doug's face he wasn't used to it. The older of the two siblings threw himself back against the wall and held his hands up high. "Jesus it's me!"

Audrey breathed a sigh of relief and dropped her gun down.

"Doug you can't just come in like that!" She hissed at him, no longer mad about the fact that Doug could've gotten himself killed but that he woke her up. Burrowing back under the blankets she pulled them over her head and tried to shield her eyes from the light peering through the holes in the room's blinds. Shaking his head lightly Doug waved goodbye to Phil as the teacher reached out to tickle his sisters foot before heading out the door. Doug then went to work trying to pull the blankets off one very aggravated Audrey Billings.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize." He chuckled as Audrey snapped the blankets away from him and tossed a pillow at his head. Giving up the fight he strolled across the room and opened the curtains. As the bright Californian morning sun spilled through the room Audrey finally gave up hissing at the dawn like a vampire and instead settled into waking up to a new day.

"It's not your fault" She mumbled while pulling at the tangles in her hair. "it's just habit."

"Anyways we can't hit the road till Phil gets off work and I have to go try on my tux to make sure it fits-" Doug cut his words short when he noticed how his sister was spinning her index finger in circles, impatience blatant on her groggy face.

"Is there a point to this story?" She asked rudely.

"Yes Miss impatient. Tracy wants you to come and try on your dress for her." Audrey frowned at her brother.

"Do I have to?" She whined, looking her brother up in down. He had already showered and dressed, Audrey hoped he made something to eat to because she was starving.

"No-I just assumed-" Doug stuttered, surprised by the rudeness of his sister. He knew Audrey was blunt but he hoped the animosity was just from her wake up call. As soon as she saw the utter confusion on her brothers face Audrey laughed out loud and crawled out of bed.

"Calm down Doug I'm just busting your balls." She smiled as she gave him a light hug before wandering into the kitchen in search of food. Doug hated how Audrey was impossible to read when she put her mind to it. She had always been a master at wearing a poker face and it made it far too easy for her to pull tricks on him.

"Well I'm heading to work for a little while;" Reaching into the bag on the counter he tossed a blueberry muffin at the back of his sisters head and gasped when her hand snapped up and caught it. "I'll swing back and pick you up at two to go to Tracy's parent's house." Audrey pilled the wrappings off her breakfast and nibbled away; working up the courage to ask her brother what she knew she needed to.

"You sure you want me to come with?" Doug froze as he grabbed his single bag off the floor. There were two perfectly sturdy bar stools and countless chairs in the apartment but Audrey sat perched, Indian style on the island that separated the open kitchen from the den. "To Vegas that is, I mean I know it's supposed to be a bachelor party and I just figured I'd get my own room-" Doug felt bad for his sister, he could tell she knew Vegas probably wasn't her place to be but he could also tell that she longed to go. Not to mention he wanted her there, even if Phil treated her like eye candy.

"Calm down Audrey it'll be fine." Audrey didn't seem sold on the idea. "Plus I'm sure Phil will pull something and get us a big enough place for the five of us."

"You sure because-"

"End of discussion Audrey, I'll see you at two." Audrey shoved her muffin in her mouth and threw her hands up in defeat. Swinging his bag over his shoulder Doug reached into the fridge and retrieved the orange juice which he sat on the counter next to his sister. "Love you."

"You too." She yelled after him before the door closed behind her brother signaling that she was now alone in the apartment. Pouring herself a glass of orange juice it was now time to put her investigation skills to use. First off was the medicine cabinet, nothing but Tylenol and Tums cluttered the glass shelve to Audrey's relief. The last thing she wanted was for Doug to be keeping something medical secret from her. Doug's room was much neater than Phil's but the occasional condom rapper was stuffed under the night stand or the bed. At least she wouldn't have to worry about any nieces or nephews any time soon. It didn't take long to crack Doug's laptop password and even though it was an invasion of his privacy she went through a couple of his picture files, ignoring the locked folder named Tracy. Doug, Stu and Phil's faces smiled back at her countless times through the photos. Audrey loved photography and knew it was what kept food on the table as a child seeing as her father owned a business that worked on inventing new cameras but she didn't see herself doing it for a living. Doug however had a knack for it, there were even pictures dating back to their childhood years and even going as far as having a folder dedicated solely to Audrey. Slowly the twenty six year old clicked on the folder and was shocked with what all she found. The first picture was of her cheering at one of her high school foot ball games, it was clear she was freezing as her breath hung in the air in front of her but she smiled at the camera just as her brother snapped the shot. The next few pictures were all scans from news papers. 'High School Hero Makes Big' was one in particular that caught her attention as it had a picture of her at seventeen next to one at twenty two when she was made a detective for D.C P.D. Closing the file out Audrey turned off her brothers computer and sat it back on his cluttered desk.

Passing through the kitchen with Kodak stirring in the corner Audrey sat her now empty glass in the dish washer and headed back to her room. Going through the dresser drawers Audrey shuffled carefully through Phil's clothes before stumbling upon a manila folder. Feeling somewhat guilty Audrey cracked it open to see copies of Phil and his ex-wife's now void marriage certificate. Then came the papers designating who got what. Just by the first list Audrey was boiling mad to see how Phil had been screwed over, when she read that he was only getting Eli on weekends she couldn't hold in her anger and jotted down the contact information of the two divorce lawyers. Even though she would be breaking rule13: 'Never ever involve lawyers' she knew she'd have to because this was Phil's child at stake and Audrey knew that sometimes lawyers were unavoidable, sort of like your first bout of chicken pox. Holding the small piece of paper in her hands Audrey searched through the night stand, in it she found a few books, mostly American literature, a picture of Phil with his son and oddly enough a folded up piece of paper with a very recognizable number on it. Even though she didn't call it much Audrey recognized her own phone number. She wanted to ask about it but that meant having to admit to snooping around, than again there was rule 18: _'It is better to ask forgiveness than seek permission.' _She'd get around to asking him eventually, in the mean time she had time to kill.

Digging through her bags Audrey slipped into her two piece bathing suit and grabbing a towel and a book she headed down to the pool. D.C was pleasant this time of year but Audrey spent most of her time off work at home reading or out for a run, she didn't get the chance to tan much considering she didn't trust tanning beds. Letting the sun beat down on her skin Audrey folded back the front cover of the paper back in her hands 'A Helmet For My Pillow'. Audrey had loved history in school and considering her boss was a former Marine the majority of books she read were historical narrations of the wars often written by people who had been there. By the time 12:30 rolled around Audrey had already made it through Peleliu and had gotten a little more gold to her already sun kissed skin. Slipping into her oversized button up shirt she quickly made her way back up to the apartment in time for a shower before Doug would be there to pick her up.

"Audrey it looks amazing on you!" Audrey gazed at her reflection in the mirror with a shocked look on her face. When she had been fitted for the dress it was a different color and a completely different length, the dress she was in now was amazing. It was black lace at the top and then gave way to black taffeta and was tied with an off white sash. Tracy giggled at the look on Audrey's face, she didn't know Doug's sister well but this had to be a stamp of approval.

"Thanks to you!" Audrey exclaimed happily while she spun around and chuckled at how the fabric fluttered around her. "Seriously Tracy this has got to be the prettiest bridesmaid dress I've ever been in." Audrey continued to goo over the dress as her soon to be sister in law watched on proudly.

"Really?" She asked with finger nails between her teeth. Grinning widely Audrey nodded.

"Um..yea!" Once again Audrey spun around before coming to a stop and sliding her hands over the fabric. It clung to her in all the right places and the little pumps and dark hoes that went with were exactly her style.

"I'm glad you like it." Stepping forward Tracy straightened the tie in the back and looked over Audrey's shoulder. She didn't look much like Doug until she smiled, only then was there a solid resemblance between the two. "I know you don't live here and all but I really wanted you to be a part of this." Audrey glanced up and caught Tracy's brown eyes through the mirror.

"You didn't have to include me Tracy." Audrey knew she had been lucky to be involved in the wedding, even if she didn't want to at first. She lived on the complete opposite side of the country and never came home. Still Tracy had went out on a ledge and asked her to be a bridesmaid, and offer Audrey couldn't say no to.

"I wanted to plus I know how much Doug misses you." That got her attention.

"What?" Audrey's voice was little more than a whisper as she looked down to her feet.

"Yea, he's always talking about all the things you do and how proud he is of you." Slowly Audrey lifted her gaze back up the mirror and connected with Tracy's eyes once again. "I think he blames himself for a lot of what…" Tracy didn't know what to say and considering she couldn't read what the expression on Audrey's face meant she back stepped. "Well it's not my business but he really does miss you." Slightly nervous now Tracy moved to the other side of the room and gathered the shoe box and dress covering that went with Audrey's dress.

"Hey Tracy?" From her place knelt on the ground Tracy looked up to Audrey who was now facing her.

"Yea?"

"I'm glad my brother picked you." It took a lot for Audrey to say it but in a profession that requires you to read people Audrey could tell that Tracy was a good person, not to mention she was just a hint frightened of federal agent. Smiling humbly Tracy placed a hand to her heart.

"Honestly?" She asked, her eyes brimmed with tears. Smiling softly Audrey gave a soft nod.

"Yea," Slipping out of her pumps Audrey bent down and picked them off the floor. "you're a good person not to mention you know if you ever hurt him I could 'remove' you without leaving a trace of evidence." Audrey spoke in a joking manner but knew it didn't hurt to be feared on an occasion.

"You sound like a character out of a mafia movie." Handing the pumps over Audrey put on her best Robert De niro face before the two fell into a fit of giggles. Tracy laughed as she took the shoes from Audrey and placed them neatly in there box. It felt good to joke back in fourth with another girl for once. Catching her breath Tracy looked up to find Audrey's expression slightly more serious.

"Well Doug is all I have and now his happiness relies on you." Tracy nodded as Audrey spoke, her eyes never leaving the bride to be. "Do right by him ok?" She whispered, hands rung together and pressed against her abdomen.

Tracy watched as the women in front of her opened up just the slightest bit. Audrey was younger than her by a two years but she seemed older, wiser, …colder. At the moment; however, her face was filled with emotion, bottom lip secured tightly under the top from fear of trembling. There wasn't a single tear in her soft eyes but she didn't need there to be. It was clear how much she cared about her brother; even though at times it was as if it was some secret that she would have an attachment to any single person.

"Of course I promise." Tracy's words came out hushed, her voice struggling not to break.

"Because I really do love him," Audrey kept her composure as she spoke, something Tracy wasn't a master at like herself. "I know we're distant but he's my only brother." Nodding once again Tracy gave Audrey a small hug before stepping back and retrieving the hanger for Audrey's dress.

"What about Phil?" The older of the two asked.

"What about him?" Audrey retorted while trying to ignore what Tracy was implying. Apparently it had been clear to everyone at the rehearsal dinner that something was going on between the two.

"Yea what about him?" The sound of Doug's voice made the two girls jump. Tracy wasn't blind to what her fiancé was doing if only he hadn't been so sneaky she wouldn't be in the rut she was in. Secretly Tracy wanted nothing more than for Audrey and Phil to fall in love, get married and have her sister in law move back home so their children could grow up close to each other. Sure Phil was a bit of kid sometimes but Audrey would be just the perfect balance for him. Tracy had already began to day dream about the two's wedding.

"Well they're going down with each other aren't they?" She answered quickly, pulled from her day dreams of happy Christmas parties as a big family. Somewhere though Doug got the wrong idea of his fiancées intended question.

"What!" He cried oblivious to the look his sister shot at him, disgust on her face at where his mind had went. "Oh the aisle…" Shaking her head Audrey rolled her eyes as her brother stepped further in the room. "Yea I forgot." Turning his attention to his sister Doug placed an arm around her shoulder and glanced down at her dress. Damn… he thought, he was going to have to spend his entire wedding fighting guys off with a stick if she wore that dress. Even worse… "Audrey you and Phil are paired up together." Green eyes snapped up as Audrey's spun around to face her brother. Doug wasn't any happier about the arrangement than his sister seemed to be, not to mention he was pretty sure that Tracy had done it for the sole fact that she thought the two would have pretty babies.

"We weren't last night." She exclaimed in a questioning manner. Seeing this as her time to explain her reasons for suddenly changing the walking order in the wedding Tracy grabbed a hold of Doug's hand and prayed Audrey would calm down, not that she was freaking out but her eyes were a little…off.

"Well the wedding planner said we should do it according to height and you two go together well." Blowing a bit of her bangs out of her eyes Audrey put on that crooked smirk she always wore when she knew someone was pulling something over on her.

"You don't say?" The couple nodded to the girls question and Doug took a seat at the corner of round ottoman.

"Yea, you will walk down first on your own and then Phil will step down and escort you back down the aisle than so on with Stu and Amber and Alan and Samantha." Audrey saw right through Tracy's little plan of setting her and Phil up but decided not to say anything, this was her wedding and Audrey wasn't going to complain about a single thing. Turning back around Audrey gave her dress one finale glance before Tracy ushered Doug out of the room and followed quickly behind him. Hopefully by the next time she slipped into the ensemble things between her and Phil wouldn't be so up in the air. Hopefully.

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Feedback? Next chapter...Vegas!


	7. Hey, I'm backwell sort of

Wait! Before you start throwing things at me via the internet allow me to explain myself. My computer broke mid July and I only recently got a new laptop. A vaio and boy do I love it. While I'm on break I'm going to do my best to get back in the swing of this story and start it back up so fingers crossed y'all.


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